310 



AKCTIC RESEARCH EXPEDITION. 



died a fire, and filled the tea-kettle to make coffee. Presently I 

 heard the crack of my rifle, and concluded that another seal was 

 killed, little imagining what had actually occurred. But near 

 midnight, when Ebierbing and Koodloo arrived, they told me 

 that not only one of the largest-sized seals (ookgook) was killed, 

 but also the bear. I could hardly believe them. A bear? It 

 was too much to believe. I could readily conceive that they had 

 succeeded with seals, but that they had captured the bear, and 

 without the smallest signs of any struggle, was almost incredible. 

 I could not, therefore, help laughing at Ebierbing as he persisted 

 in the statement ; and I said to him, " You're making game of 

 me." On the instant he replied, " Come to the sledge (which was 

 only a short distance off) and see." There, true enough, was 

 Ninoo's skin, with portions of the meat; and now we had beef in 

 abundance. The ookgook had been left on the ice, at the edge 

 of the floe by the open water. 



Ebierbing told me that they went over to the mountain island 

 where he had first espied the bear, and saw the brute lying down. 

 On their approach he sprung up and darted away. Three of the 

 dogs were immediately let loose by cutting the traces with which 

 they were harnessed to the sledge. After these three had started, 

 the remaining dogs were cast adrift, which soon overtook the 

 other dogs, and assisted in bringing the bear to bay. They bark- 

 ed, bit, struggled, and fought bravely, the bear doing his best to 

 defend himself. Now and then Ninoo would start to run, but the 

 dogs were quickly fast to his stern, turning him round more rap- 

 idly than the rudder does a ship under a nine-knot breeze. 



The dog and bear fight continued for half an hour, when Ebier- 

 bing, getting as favorable an opportunity as he desired, sent the 

 messenger of death to JSTinoo's heart. 



The bear was very fat, as all polar bears in the neighborhood 

 of the " deserted land" must be, in consequence of the immense 

 number of seals there. His stomach was filled to its utmost ca- 

 pacity, and, Innuit-like, the two men took care of every portion 

 that was serviceable. 



The bear was immediately skinned, and the best portions of the 

 carcass brought away. The rest was left to feast other animals 

 than man. On returning from this bear-hunt, Ebierbing shot the 

 ookgook which he referred to. 



Our feast that night was uncommonly good. Some of the fat, 

 with portions of the lean, was well cooked ; and when we lay 



